Colon-targeted sinapic acid-loaded cationic guar gum - gellan gum hydrogel beads: A novel approach for treating inflammatory bowel disease.

Sinapic acid (SA), a naturally occurring phenolic compound found in various plants and grains, possesses significant anti-inflammatory properties, making it a potential therapeutic candidate for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, its clinical application is hindered by extensive first-pass metabolism, necessitating an effective colon-targeted delivery system. The present study focused on developing and evaluating a microbially triggered, colon-targeted delivery system for SA. Hydrogel beads were fabricated using cationic guar gum (CGG) and anionic gellan gum (GG) through polyelectrolyte complexation coupled with ionotropic gelation. A Box-Behnken design was employed to optimize bead preparation, with polymer concentrations (CGG and GG) and crosslinking agent (CaCl₂) as independent variables, and % yield and encapsulation efficiency (%EE) as the response parameters. The optimized GG-CGG hydrogel beads displayed a uniform spherical morphology with an average size of 915.75 ± 3.45 μm, encapsulation efficiency of 90.19%. In vitro drug release demonstrated a sustained SA release exceeding 95% over 24 h under simulated colon conditions. In vivo evaluation revealed a significant reduction in myeloperoxidase activity, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), C-reactive protein (CRP), and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels following treatment with SA-loaded beads. These findings demonstrate that GG-CGG polyelectrolyte hydrogel beads enable enzyme-responsive, colon-specific delivery of SA, resulting in enhanced anti-inflammatory efficacy.